Forced Marriage: an abuse of human rights

An interim report one year after A Choice by Right, July 2001.

Forced marriage is part of our day-to-day work. We deal with 200 such cases and enquiries per year. This report looks at the scale of the problem, the community response and the state response.

It raises our concerns about government policy on forced marriage in the year following the report of the Home Office Working Group, A Choice by Right.

Southall Black Sisters was one of the members of this Group which had been established in the wake of the tragic death of Rukshana Naz, killed by her brother and mother for refusing to remain in a forced marriage.

The report makes detailed recommendations to government departments and agencies, such as the Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, criminal justice agencies, civil justice, social services, health, education and housing.